6 Session 5
An arrow streaked through the air, leaving a sharp whistle behind it, as it drove deep into a yawning goblin's skull, bringing an end to its miserable life. "That's one," remarked the bow shooter.
The goblin beside it went into a frenzy, attempting to sound an alarm, but its efforts were rendered futile by the bolt of fire that followed the arrow. The fire impacted its throat, turning flesh and bone to cinder and silencing it forever. "And that's two," calmly counted Goblin Slayer.
After a brief survey of the surroundings, Goblin Slayer led the way towards the cave entrance with Gohn and Priestess in tow. Standing atop one of the goblin corpses, Goblin Slayer dislodged one of his throwing knives and cut open a goblin, causing the pure-hearted Priestess to gasp at the gruesome sight.
Gohn unconsciously raised an eyebrow at the spectacle but refrained from questioning Goblin Slayer; a man like him wouldn't act without purpose, would he? Goblin Slayer took out a rag and soaked it in goblin blood until the once-white fabric was a thick shade of crimson.
Approaching Priestess with the bloodied rag, Goblin Slayer stated matter-of-factly, "Goblins are extremely sensitive to the smell of women, so we need to cover your scent." He held out the rag towards Priestess, uncaring of the discomfort forming on her face.
"Mister, help!" Priestess turned towards Gohn, hoping for assistance in convincing Goblin Slayer not to soak her in goblin guts.
When Gohn began to speak, hope shined within the blue pupils of Priestess, thinking that she wouldn't have to soak herself in goblin gore. "Do as Slayer says," Gohn answered, and all light began to fade from Priestess's eyes as she reluctantly allowed Goblin Slayer to wipe the rag of gore onto her. Once she was covered, the three of them made their way into the cave stealthily.
"Ew, ew," Priestess repeated as she tried to shake excess blood off her gown. "How am I gonna wash this off?" She whined quietly between Goblin Slayer and Gohn. The group had long adopted a formation that protected the healer the best. Goblin Slayer, the warrior and front-liner, took the front guard; Priestess took mid-guard in case of flanks from behind, and Gohn, the spellcaster who could use a sword, held the rear guard all by his lonesome in case of goblin ambushes.
"We take a left here," Goblin Slayer's voice quietly ordered as he held the torch, revealing the hidden side tunnel in the cave. Next to the tunnel was the shaman totem. Priestess tensed up at the sight before following behind Goblin Slayer
Gohn followed behind her, the group marched on with silenced steps to avoid giving the goblins any notice of their arrival. They traveled down the cavern, all tense and ready for a fight to break out at any time. Eventually, they seemed to reach the end of the cavern; Gohn's night vision revealed a dozen or so goblins sleeping about 30 meters away. While Goblin Slayer couldn't see them, he sensed their presence and made the group come to a halt.
"Wizard, keep them asleep," Goblin Slayer stated in a hushed tone. They were already asleep but could wake up at any time. It was better to use a spell slot to keep themselves hidden while eliminating the group, preventing any alarms that could alert every other goblin in the cavern.
The element of surprise is truly powerful, and having it was worth a spell slot any day.
"Understood," Gohn responded resolutely, unsheathing one blade and beginning to chant Sleep. Arcane runes emitted a dim light around him, curving up his blade length before a large magic circle appeared below the sleeping goblins. Their slumber became heavier, ensuring that they would peacefully die in their sleep.
For a brief moment, Gohn wondered what goblins dreamed about but quickly dismissed the thought, easily guessing the single-minded monsters' likely dreams.
"They won't be waking up," Gohn stated, giving Slayer the signal that he could move closer with the torch without fear of waking the goblins. Slayer freed his blade from its confines and pierced the throat of the nearest goblin. The soft gurgle of blood resounded in the area as the goblin woke up from its slumber, attempting to breathe, only to find itself choking on its blood with cold hard steel piercing its trachea. An attempt to free the blade in vain led to losing all light in its eyes in a few brief seconds.
Seeing this, Gohn made his way towards the sleeping group and pierced his blade into a goblin's skull, putting it to rest forever. Gohn and Goblin Slayer began to methodically slaughter the sleeping goblins; Gohn finished them off with a swift blow to the skull, killing them instantly, while Goblin Slayer finished them off by piercing their throats. Priestess stayed close but chose to look away from the merciless killing the two men executed.
"I got 7," Gohn said, looking around and seeing all the goblins lying dead.
"9," Goblin Slayer stated, dropping his bloodied sword and swapping it with one of the goblins.
"So 16 in total," Gohn said, only to be followed by Goblin Slayer's immediate response, "The nest might be larger than I originally thought," Slayer pointed out. "An ambush party this big means there's likely a significant number of goblins deeper in."
"Maybe 75 to 100 strong instead of the original 50," Goblin Slayer stated, contemplating the group's next course of action.
"So what do we do?" Priestess asked, wondering if it would be best to turn back now and regroup before proceeding further.
"It's nothing I didn't plan for, but you two should return to the village," Goblin Slayer
"What will you do?" Priestess inquired curiously.
"I'll go down alone," Goblin Slayer declared as if it were the most obvious choice.
"Not happening," Gohn retorted. "Once I take a job, I complete it," he added. He wasn't one to half-ass things, and he couldn't turn back now, letting Goblin Slayer take all the coin by completing this quest solo.
"Let us come with you," Priestess suggested. "All three of us should go down together," she insisted. "It's safer that way," she pointed out, believing that while Goblin Slayer was an expert at killing goblins, dealing with over a hundred of them might pose a significant challenge.
Slayer paused in consideration before he began walking deeper into the cavern. "Do as you please," he plainly stated from ahead.
Gohn and Priestess exchanged a look before following behind Slayer. They both knew the rule: never separate the party. They had learned the hard way that nothing ever goes well when you split the party. And now, in a cave infested with goblins, wasn't the time to break that rule.
The group continued their cave crawl, repeating the same actions with shocking effectiveness. They managed to finish two more rooms filled with sleeping goblins without any issues.
They had killed 35 goblins since they entered this cave, and there seemed to be no sign of it ending. Gohn could only hope there weren't many more rooms of goblins because he was down to one first-level spell slot. So, one more cast of Sleep before they had to find another way to deal with the drowsy goblins.
While he could upcast Sleep with his two 2nd level slots, he preferred not to use his strongest spells on the grunts of the litter. With such a big nest, there had to be at least a Shaman or a few hobs, and he wanted to save his second level for them.
Just as he was about to bring it up to the group, Goblin Slayer found a side tunnel and signaled them to keep quiet and prepare themselves for a possible encounter. Once they entered the cavern, another group of still-resting goblins came into Gohn's view. Once he detected them, he methodically began to chant the incantation for Sleep.
The cavern was illuminated by the soft glow of runes carving themselves into the air. A large spell circle, twenty feet in diameter, formed beneath the group of resting goblins. The light produced by the runes seemed to have brought clarity to some of the less drowsy goblins.
Gohn was shocked at first, not expecting such hedonistic creatures to actively wake up in the morning. From what he knew, they'd only been in the cave for at most an hour; it should still be early morning in the goblin time cycle, maybe around 7-8 at the latest. They should still be asleep.
Even with the shock, he continued to chant, trying to put the group to sleep before they could wake the others. A creature that's drowsy or already sleeping took less effort to put to sleep than those awake.
He realized he had to put them to sleep quickly before they could fully wake up or wake up the others, or things would get more than just a little complicated.
If it was a group of awake goblins, he could probably put 2 to sleep at worst and maybe 14 at best, but he could guarantee that he could easily put down over 20 drowsy goblins.
The dice were cast as the last word of the incantation left his mouth. He could only pray that he rolled well. Unfortunately, the Goddess of luck didn't seem to favor him today; he was only able to put a few back to sleep, but the rest were awakened from their rest by those few who awoke from the light from his runes. And thus the few who he managed to guide to the land of dreams were shaken back to the waking world.
Gohn cursed his luck; this was a nat 1, and he could guarantee it. What's worse is the goblins took little time to pinpoint the faint light of the torch Goblin Slayer was holding. They grabbed the crude weapons that rested on the ground and began to make their way toward them with sadistic glee and vigor once their eyes landed on the petite form of the friendly neighborhood healer, thinking that this would be another toy added to their collection.
"Get ready," Gohn instructed Goblin Slayer, "Some resisted my magic," Gohn added, unsheathing his second blade and preparing for a brawl. But Goblin seemed to have other plans.
"We pull back," commanded Goblin Slayer. Gohn got a vague idea of his plan. The group turned tail and began to make their way out of there. Goblin Slayer and Gohn kept a good pace, and they wouldn't be long for the main hallway, but the small Priestess was slowly being left behind.
Seeing this, Gohn slowed down his pace to match Priestess's speed. The girl was becoming out of breath; she had to run at a full sprint to even try to keep pace with the two of them, her shorter strides causing her stamina to drain quickly. If this went on any longer the Goblins would catch up to her. Once he was beside her, he silently picked her up and threw her on top of his shoulder, getting a small yelp from the girl for suddenly being carried like a sack of potatoes.
Unlike a sack of potatoes, the girl was surprisingly light, and if he wasn't running from a small horde of goblins wanting to tear his guts out, he would question if she was eating okay.
"We fight here," declared Goblin Slayer once they reached the main hallway, putting his back to the wall to make sure he couldn't be flanked. The tunnel was more cramped than the open cavern, so there was little risk of goblins overrunning them.
They would be forced to come at them in small groups, and if needed the crowded corridors lined them up perfectly for burning hands if the need arises.
"Behind us, Priestess," Gohn ordered, already channeling a spell through his blades, ready to blast the goblins once they showed their faces again. And he could tell that would be soon with the sound of multiple skittering footsteps closing in.
Priestess did as Gohn said and got behind the two men, readying her staff to cast miracles at any moment now.
"Once you see them, cast holy light," Slayer ordered, throwing the torch further into the cave and taking out a stone thrower from his pack. He loaded it with stones found in the cave and fired, supposedly blindly.
'Does he also have night vision?' Gohn thought as the stone flew true and decimated the skull of a goblin. It was just out of range of his night vision, so he questioned how someone like Goblin Slayer, who he knew was 100% human, was hitting shots like those in the pure darkness.
The first time could have been luck, but when three more stones flew through the cave followed by the sounds of skulls shattering, Gohn was just impressed. That accuracy took skill, lots and lots of skill. He couldn't fathom how many hours the man in steel took to perfect his skill.
Once the first group of Goblins ran past the torch Goblin Slayer threw deeper into the cave, Priestess began to pray. Slayer dropped the stone thrower, and Gohn channeled to Create Bonfire through his sword.
"Oh holy Earth Mother, please guide us, your lost children who are lost in darkness. Holy Light," Priestess finished her prayer as a blinding light spawned from behind Gohn and Goblin and pierced through the dark cave, illuminating the stone cavern, and blinding all who looked at it.
Gohn and Goblin Slayer wasted no time getting to work. Goblin Slayer dashed into the fray, slashing and stabbing. Gohn cast Create Bonfire into the center of the dazed goblins, setting multiple ablaze before joining Slayer in the fray, cutting down as many goblins in their dazed state.
Priestess's flashbang-like light diminished quickly, becoming no brighter than a street lamp, while its use was certain as it allowed Gohn and Goblin Slayer to see better but now it allowed the Goblins to start to fight back.
A goblin didn't hesitate and leaped towards Gohn's face, trying to pierce his mask with a rusted dagger. Gohn diverted the blade away with his left sword and grabbed the leg of the still airborne goblin before tossing it into another approaching goblin, sending both tumbling back, only to be swiftly skewered by Goblin Slayer now using a spear he picked up from one of the many dead.
A soft whistle of an arrow resounded through the cave, heading towards the two. Goblin Slayer raised his shield to block the incoming arrows from goblin archers further down, hidden deeper in the dark of the cave, which Gohn failed to notice because he was occupied with the ones in front of him.
He used his natural flexibility to duck and weave between the rain of arrows. The smarter Goblins retreated to friendly lines deeper into the cave, while those a bit duller than the others were shot in the back by many goblin archers. The goblin archers fired indiscriminately, not seeming to care about the casualties among their fellow goblins as long as Goblin Slayer and Gohn ended up dead.
Gohn retaliated with Firebolt, but his shots went astray, scorching the stone walls and failing to hit the archers taking cover behind stone. The combination of the goblins' cover and his inability to concentrate on aiming while dodging the continued onslaught prevented him from casting any more significant spells.
Gohn picked up a corpse of a goblin from the ground and began to use it to shield him from the arrows. Shot after shot impacted the long dead body splattering blood onto Gohn. Once the goblin grew too heavy with arrows Gohn dropped it and picked up another.
This was a fight-or-die situation, and they needed to find a way to break through the wall of wood the goblins peppered them with. They were losing ground, and for every step they lost, the goblins gained one more, replenishing their lost ammunition, and making sure they never ran out.
The situation looked dire.
Gohn's mind raced with ideas, attempting to find any way to clear out the goblins. Shatter was unusable right now due to its long casting time. Firebolt had little chance of connecting in this situation, and continuously using it would only exhaust him quicker. While it didn't consume spell slots, it was mentally taxing to use magic continuously. He already felt a small ache in his head.
Misty Step seemed like an option, but it would still leave him out of range of the goblins, most likely turning him into a pin cushion once he teleported.
The only silver lining was that Priestess appeared non-threatening enough that the archers didn't bother aiming at her. Trying not to become Swiss cheese and firing magic back was already challenging enough; adding protection for Priestess would be nearly impossible.
"Priestess, cast Light again," Goblin Slayer called out. Gohn was bewildered; at this range, Priestess's Light would do little against the goblins. The flashbang effect of the initial cast was most effective within 5 meters, and the goblin archers were well past 15 meters.
While he didn't understand the reasoning, Gohn trusted Slayer's decision. He positioned himself in front of Priestess and fended off arrows with his blade, giving the girl time to pray. Once more, a bright light began to illuminate the cave. Gohn kept his head forward to avoid blinding himself.
Unfortunately, the light didn't have a significant effect on the goblins, besides lowering their accuracy and slowing their fire rate as they covered their eyes, trying to shield them from the glare. But the few seconds of respite allowed Goblin Slayer to move up; he pulled out an egg? from his pack. Gohn had numerous questions but held them back. Slayer tossed it at the goblins' feet once in range. The egg shattered, releasing a large swath of powder.
Cries of pain and agony echoed throughout the cave as the goblins in the powder's blast zone collapsed onto the ground, holding their throats and eyes. Seeing the powder in the air, an idea popped up in Gohn's head, and he sent a Firebolt streaking through the air during the brief moment of respite. It set the powder aflame, starting a chain reaction.
With just one spark, the entire cave was set ablaze. It started small; a Firebolt ignited the flammable powder in the egg, which then lit other particles. The fire spread to the goblins from burning sparks, withering in agony. The burning goblins collided with one another as they tried to extinguish the flames, setting others ablaze in their tracks and causing disorder in their ranks.
The group could only watch as the swarm of goblins became nothing more than charred corpses.
"Did we just commit a war crime?" Gohn asked, his voice echoing in the aftermath. It surely must be a war crime, right? They had just poisoned and burned the goblins. It had to be.
Thankfully, the Geneva Convention didn't exist in this world; otherwise, they would be screwed. But even if it did, Gohn knew damn well Goblin Slayer would use it as a checklist and instructions of how to deal with Goblins instead of following it.
"What's a war crime?" Priestess asked, her voice shaking, giving a thousand-yard stare at what she just helped commit.
Gohn dismissed the question and used his sleeve to wipe away the blood, fat, and other grime coating his blade, preparing them for another use in combat. He considered following Goblin Slayer's rule book and throwing the blades aside, picking up weapons from the ground. However, he knew that the old smith would give him hell for it.
In his time in the field, he learned a crucial lesson: never mess with two types of people. One, medics, and the other, the people responsible for keeping your shit working. You'll find yourself six feet under rather quickly if you do.
"We take a short break here," Goblin Slayer stated, completely unaffected by all that had happened in the past hour or so. Gohn was more than happy to oblige, hoping to recover some of his spell slots during this short rest.
The group tried to catch their breath for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before it was disturbed by many small, hurried footsteps from deeper within the main cavern, followed by the thumping of heavier and rougher footsteps.
"Hob incoming, multiple at that," Gohn called out, his enhanced senses alerting him. Slayer nodded, and Priestess tensed up, getting into their battle formation. "And maybe 20-30 normal ones," Gohn strained his ears to hear more. The odds weren't looking the best, but it was doable if they played their cards right.
"What's the plan?" Gohn asked, unsure if they were going to fight, retreat, or perhaps try to cave in the cavern and trap the goblins inside, ditching the village girls. Gohn needed to know; it's hard to grasp what's inside the mind of Slayer.
"Prepare to cast Firebolt," Goblin Slayer stated, grabbing more eggs out of his pouch, causing Priestess to flinch at the thought of what was about to come.
"Got it," Gohn said, forming a flame at the tip of his blade, ready to shoot it the second the signal was given. Goblin Slayer took the time before the goblins' arrival to set down traps. Once the clattering of footsteps no longer echoed, Slayer threw the eggs at the horde of encroaching goblins. The sound of shattering came from the dark, the only signal Gohn needed, and then he started blasting.
Firebolt upon firebolt illuminated deeper into the dark cavern, setting goblins ablaze as the poison powder combusts. The sound of screaming echoed through the cave once more, but it was quickly silenced before the symphony of agony could start. The Goblins approached, cackling sadistically, thinking they'd got them cornered.
Multiple Hobs appeared in front of the group's eyes with a Shaman in tow, giving orders to the group. The Hobs and normal Goblins approached, closing in on the group, their backs to the wall.
They were in perfect range for Priestess's holy grenade. If Gohn used Shatter here, he would be able to take down a lot of them in this confined space. But not all of them.
"So that's where the Shaman was," Goblin Slayer plainly stated, seemingly expecting its presence.
The Shaman looked at Priestess and licked its lips before hastily giving orders to kill the two men and capture the girls. It then pointed its staff at Goblin Slayer and unleashed a shimmering blade of air. Goblin Slayer dodged out of the way, causing the blade to leave a gash in the cavern wall instead of splitting the Silver-rank adventurer in two, as the Shaman had hoped.
It knows wind magic, it must have been how it put out his flames
"What are we going to do?" Priestess asked, her voice leaking anxiety and fear. She began to shake as memories from a few days flooded into her mind. This was turning out just like last time.
"We fight," Goblin Slayer coldly said, slashing away at some of the goblins.
Gohn knew that they had to get rid of the shamans first to even stand a chance of winning. Slayer might survive as a high-level warrior, but the level 1 Cleric and the level 3 wizard were going to be goners.
No matter how many goblins they cut down it never seemed to end. Cutting down one and another would take its place. The only saving grace was the hobs couldn't swing their clubs without squashing the smaller goblins and the small group of archers near the shaman held their fire under the shaman's command.
He needed a way to either close the distance or connect a firebolt to the Shaman's face. he could see it preparing to cast another spell from the safety of the horde. And he didn't want to stick around long enough to see what other spells it has under it's sleeve.
Reaching it was easier said than done with the number of bodies defending the Shaman. Only if he had a way to somehow appear right next to the Shaman and kill it… Oh wait, he does.
An idea popped into his head as he remembered the existence of Misty Step. He hadn't gotten the chance to use it because every time he did, it would be more complicated suicide.
"Mist's embrace, a fleeting trace,
Step through shadows, a distant space I must embrace," Gohn softly chanted as his figure was swallowed by the mist. His form disappeared from the line of sight of the Goblins.
Both enemy and foe alike were left bewildered at where the man went. Priestess's anxiety seemed to worsen seeing Gohn disappear. She began to hyperventilate as she swung her staff, trying to keep the goblins from coming anywhere near her. Goblin Slayer seemed unaffected and continued to slaughter every goblin that got within his striking range.
"Hey!" Gohn screamed, drawing the attention of the goblins away from Goblin Slayer and Priestess back to him.
The goblins became furious once they saw Gohn holding their leader at swordpoint. Gohn held the blade to the goblin shaman's throat, preventing it from casting. Once he was sure he got everyone's attention, he calmly slit the throat of the Shaman and let it fall to the ground before crushing its windpipe with the heel of his boot.
This sent the goblins into a frenzy. Seeing this, Gohn ran deeper into the cave, betting that there were no more goblins below with how many they'd already killed and with their leader dead. Once Gohn was sure he was far away from Slayer and Priestess, he stood still, waiting for the hobs and goblins to get within range.
!
And then, he commenced his incantation. This was his final spell slot, a single chance, or else he wouldn't emerge unscathed.
"By the forge of chaos, where fires sear,
I invoke a tempest, loud and clear.
Cracks, in reality, a cosmic divide,
Shatter the stillness, let chaos abide."
The goblins closed in, less than 60 feet away. Hobs, armed and aggressive, led the charge, while the goblins ran recklessly, eager to rip him apart.
"Thunder's drum, a celestial call,
A symphony of destruction, to enthrall.
With words arcane, a power vast,
Break the silence, let the die be cast."
At 50 feet, the distant rumble of thunder grew louder.
"Through fractured air and trembling ground,
Shatter the essence, the world unbound.
Crystals of chaos, shards of might,
In this incantation, unleash the fight."
The thunder intensified as vast arcane energy materialized through his sword, the catalyst for the impending cataclysm. The goblins neared, a mere few meters away, their razor-sharp fangs poised to pierce his flesh.
"In the dance of disruption, let it unfold,
The fabric of reality, in stories untold.
Rumbling echoes, my will to state,
Shatter the cosmos…." The once-distant thunder erupted into life, poised for release. Gohn leaped into the center of the group, evading the attacks of the smaller ones as best as he could. Though a numbness crept into his leg, he managed to latch onto the stomach of a hob, grappling it to the ground for cover.
"Seal their fates," he concluded his chant. An ear-shattering explosion reverberated from the group of goblins. !
The sheer force of the blast propelled goblins into the air. Those on the far fringes of the group were impaled and smashed against the walls and ceiling of the cave. As for the goblins at ground zero, they met a more merciful fate; instantly turned into mush where they stood, blood, bone, and gore splattering in all directions. Bone shrapnel transformed more goblins into pincushions, leaving not even the Hobgoblins standing, their forms torn apart by bone fragments as the blast shattered bones and organs alike.
These Hobgoblins were hardier than mere goblins, the best warriors of their nests, the oldest, the wisest. However, all that resilience meant little in the face of a bomb.
The cave trembled and creaked, threatening to collapse at any moment, before settling into a quiet lull. The once lively cavern, filled with echoes of steel clashing, spellcasters hurling incantations, and the haunting echoes of death throes, was now eerily silent. Nothing of significance unfolded in this cave, a tale as ancient as time, a fight between adventures and goblins. One side lived, and the other died.
For some, like these individuals, today marks what could be the most important day, and for many, the day signified their last. Yet, for others, the unrelenting cycle of time persists—never-ending, never pausing for anyone to catch up. Many cherish dreams of etching their names into the annals of time.
However, for every hero who successfully completes their quest, numerous others are consigned to fade into the sands of time. Consider a scenario where a hero vanquishes a dragon that has claimed the lives of a hundred of the kingdom's finest warriors like in those fairy tales. A truly joyous moment for the hero, he shall be remembered by all and his tale song by bards for years to come..but what about those hundred valiant lives that came before the hero? They all wanted to be heroes too didn't they..but none shall remember them and their place in this world shall fade and they will be forgotten.
John Smith, you too will be forgotten—a man granted a second chance when many don't even enjoy such a luxury. You will not gain another, a third chance eludes you, and you are destined to vanish from the memories of all, failing to uphold your promise once more.
Regrettably, you are akin to a lackluster play, deserving to have its covers closed forever. It is time to draw the curtains on this disappointing performance. You have disappointed me; you have weathered much worse, but this is where you meet your fate—here, all alone, beneath a mound of blood and guts from goblins, no less.
My disappointment in you knows no bounds.
And that is where we'll end todays session.
Also from Now on I'm going to Bold every spell name if that's not too much of a bother. Just helps me keep track of things and if it's a bother do tell me I'll change it.
Spell incantations will be said the first time they're cast and every time after that they'll be referred to so it's not a bother to reread the same thing over and over again. But I'm a cringe wizard fanboy and need to fulfill my cringe chanting fantasy if you don't mind.
I know like 90% of people think chanting is cringe but I always found it kinda cool no matter how old I grow.Please don't bully me.
